Machines such as diesel engine systems used in connection with construction equipment, earth-moving equipment, transportation equipment (e.g., locomotives) and the like, are often implemented in adverse operating conditions. Typical operating conditions for such equipment can require extensive maintenance, repair, and overhaul work to sustain the equipment and its components, including the engine systems. As a consequence of these adverse equipment operating conditions, certain equipment components may be exhausted long before the expected end of their useful lives. Such component exhaustion can occur despite efforts to ensure proper component installation and maintenance, including periodic maintenance of equipment oil supply and lubrication systems, as well as other fluid systems.
Extensive and premature wear of large-capacity diesel engines, for example, can be caused by a combination of factors, including poor filtration and contamination of fluids, inadequate lubrication of components prior to engine ignition, failure to adhere to prescribed maintenance schedules, failure to collect and analyze data associated with equipment operation, system malfunction, general misuse of the equipment, and other factors. Downtime costs for processing fluid operations for heavy machinery and other machine fluid systems can be substantial. Accordingly, if downtime for maintenance in such machines can be minimized, then substantial economic benefits often result.
In view of the issues described above, improved strategies, techniques, methods, and systems are needed for processing and/or filtering the fluids employed in machine fluid systems.